Forecasters were predicting up to a foot of snow in northeast Kansas . Brownback said his decision on whether to reopen state offices Wednesday will rest partly on whether winds are causing snowdrifts.

Brownback said he rode the KDOT plow to observe snow removal firsthand. He planned to travel about 15 miles on I-70 to the exit for the town of Maple Hill, then return to Topeka for a late-afternoon briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center.